Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Council urged to revive Martin Tower talks after developer pauses large-scale plans
Summary
Council members pressed administration to re-engage with the Martin Tower property owner about a prior proposal that included land and in-lieu payments for affordable housing; staff said the developer has scaled back unit plans and is not building while interest rates remain high.
Council members on Sept. 16 pressed city administration to reopen talks with the owner of the Martin Tower site after learning the developer has scaled back previously announced plans and is not building while interest rates and construction costs remain high.
Councilman Callahan said the property has sat undeveloped for years and that, when the owner previously discussed the project with council, the developer had proposed an in-lieu payment tied to a LERTA tax-abatement package and had offered land for affordable housing. “Option a, we do nothing, or option b, we get land for affordable housing, we get money for affordable housing, and we get 50% of the new value over a 10‑year period,” Callahan said, urging the city to pursue an agreement rather than leave the site idle.
At issue: the developer’s earlier concept included up…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
